Try telling the truth. It’s so much easier.

Last year, I noticed that a lot of CC club members were running into the same problem.

They were having a hard time creating presentations that really hooked an audience—presentations that felt authentic and true.

I did a little digging, and what I found wasn’t surprising.

Most of our members—like most magicians everywhere—start the same way. They pick a trick first, and then they figure out what to say.

That’s the intuitive method.

And sometimes it leads to great results.

But a lot of the time, it creates a different experience.

Speaking for myself, I’ve often had a hard time delivering those presentations. They can feel hokey or forced, like I’m saying things I would never actually say. At times, it’s felt like I’m just saying things I don’t believe—or flat-out lying to the audience.

Now, you could argue that’s part of the job.

As Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin put it, the magician is an actor playing the part of a magician.

That may be true. But even with some acting training, I’ve found it’s a lot easier to perform when there’s something real underneath the words. Most actors rely on a well-written script—something with a built-in sense of truth.

It takes a very strong performer to make something hollow feel alive.

And that’s the situation most magicians put themselves in without realizing it.

Several months ago, inside CC, we decided to try something different.

Most of our members are adults with real lives, real experiences, and a lot they’ve lived through. They have opinions, stories, and ideas that matter to them.

So we flipped the process.

Instead of starting with a trick and then trying to find something to say, we started by asking a different question:

What do I actually want to share?

A point of view about life. A story. Something meaningful that happened. An idea that stuck.

In some cases, the ideas that came up felt a little risky. People hesitated. They weren’t sure they wanted to say those things out loud.

But that turned out to be a useful signal.

Very often, the ideas that feel a little uncomfortable are the ones that are actually true—and worth sharing.

From there, the next step was simple.

Find a piece of magic you can use to carry that idea.

Not the perfect trick. Not the most impressive one. Just something clear enough to support what you’re trying to express.

What we found was interesting.

Once the idea is solid, you can try different methods, different effects, different approaches—and gradually discover which ones support it best. The trick becomes flexible. The meaning stays consistent.

And the result feels different.

From my own experience—and watching our members work this way—the audience can feel it. The performer doesn’t have to fight to remember lines, because the truth is easier to remember. The vulnerability of sharing something real creates a stronger connection. People respond differently.

It’s not just about the trick anymore.

It’s about the exchange.

Great magicians have been doing this for a long time.

When you watch closely, you can see the difference. The performer isn’t telling a story just to justify the effect. They’re sharing something that would be interesting even without the magic.

The magic becomes part of how that idea is expressed.

The only thing I’d add is this:

It can feel a little uncomfortable at first.

But it gets easier—especially when you’re around other people working through the same process.

That’s been one of the most noticeable shifts inside CC.

People are trying things, adjusting, and coming back with something clearer each time.

And it shows—in how they feel about their magic, and in how audiences respond.